Nightmares
by Lhaewin
Summary: The Ring left its mark on all those who came in contact with it, as their dreams confirm.
1. Sam

Tolkien´s characters don´t belong to me, but they will never leave me.

Thanks to Rosie26 for her support and encouragement.

* * *

_The Nightmares of Master Samwise_

Sam awoke at dawn with a strange feeling but he was too drowsy to be concerned with it and he turned round and tried to sleep again. His thoughts began to fade away, but then he started again because he heard a strange noise. Carefully he got out of his bed not wanting to wake Rosie, who lay curled by his side, smiling in her sleep.

He left their bedroom and went into the kitchen, where the strange noise had come from. The first thing he saw, was a bowl, lying in pieces on the floor. And he saw one of the kittens, which was licking the rest of the baby´s mash from the bowl. Sam laughed - it was such a cute sight! And he also laughed at his own silliness, for having been scared by his own cat. He decided to tidy up later and returned to bed.

Rosie hadn´t moved and he lay down and closed his eyes. He loved the moment before falling asleep, being half-conscious and without worries. Finally he completely dozed – and then awoke with dismay once more. He sighed: so he had returned - after a break of almost three years – Gollum had visited him again in his dreams.

He had never told anyone about his nightmares. Samwise Gamgee always took care of others, especially Frodo and he would never complain about his own worries. The dreams came to him following their return to the Shire, but at first he only saw two glowing lights in the darkness. Later he heard the familiar hissing and in the end he relived again and again those horrible scenes, when Gollum tried to throttle his master to reclaim the Ring. Sam could not feel even the tiniest scrap of pity for the creature - he only felt hot with flaming wrath and hatred, when he thought about the treacherous villain and the harm he had done to his master.

In some dreams Sam fought Shelob again and he awoke with his face wet all over when he relived the moment he found Frodo lifeless after the huge spider had stung him. Night after night he considered what would have happened if he had surrendered to temptation and had killed Gollum in Emyl Muin. His mind spun, and he was shivering and trembling, but of course he never came to a conclusion.

In the end he was scared by the nightfall because he knew that he would go to bed soon. He tried to stay awake as he had done during the endless darkness in Mordor and he sneaked through the house like a ghost, but he couldn´t fight the weariness all the time. Finally he dozed for some hours only to be pursued again by the tormenting memories. During the day he felt exhausted and depressed, but he hid his feelings behind a merry surface. No-one, Frodo least of all, should notice what he was going through.

Eventually he lost his appetite - more than a worrying symptom for a Hobbit - because the worst nightmare of all plagued him and attacked his mental and emotional sanity: the memory of his master´s torture. His nice and gentle master, who increasingly changed under the powerful influence of the Ring, till Sam could hardly recognize him. The Ring was finally destroyed and Gollum had died, but the quest has left its traces on Frodo´s physical and spiritual health. Frodo tried not to show his pain, but Sam couldn´t be deceived. His master still longed for the Ring and he was tormented by the knowledge that it was beyond his reach forever. Frodo refused to talk about it and he tried to ignore the scars that the Morgul blade and Shelob´s sting had left and live a normal Hobbit´s life.

Sam had carried the Ring only for a very short time and used it briefly to save his master from the Orcs. A hundred times he had looked at his index finger and had made sure that nothing could be seen, but he still felt a slight pain where the Ring had been for some minutes.

Sam´s nightmares had completely vanished since he married Rosie, the love of his life. He wondered why they had returned to him last night and hoped that this was an exception. He looked at sleeping Rosie. How beautiful she was! She was a wonderful woman and he would have done anything to make her happy. Sam heard the children awaking and swept away his worries. Soon he would have his family around and he was needed.

The following night Sam dreamt that he had killed Gollum on the slope of Mount Doom. Then he saw Frodo standing at the brink of the Crack of Doom deciding to keep the Ring for himself. Middle-Earth was in danger and Sauron´s victory close at hand - he approached his master...he had no other choice...he did the unthinkable...and pushed him... He awoke with a cry and stared into the dark during the rest of the night. He wished for nothing but peace and a calm life with his family.

The baby started to cry. Rosie still slept and Sam got up. He felt dizzy and his head ached because of his lack of sleep after the worst dream he ever had. After some moments he regained his composure and went to the cradle to bring the baby to Rosie. He stroked the little head gently and took his son into his arms, mumuring soothing words. The baby smiled at him, but Sam knew that he was hungry. He couldn´t avoid waking Rosie, so he kissed her on her cheek and tickled her nose. Rosie stirred and opened her eyes.

"Thank you, darling", she said and stretched her arms to take the baby. "Now it´s time for breakfast", Sam said to his son and lay him aside his mother. Soon the baby found his mother´s breast and drank eagerly with large gulps. Sam watched this peaceful scene for some minutes and swore to himself not to say a word to Rosie about his dreams. He wondered why they had returned - it had something to do with his master – was he ill again?

Later they had tea together and Sam realised that Frodo was even more pale than usual. His hands were slightly trembling as he held his cup. "Don´t you feel well, Mr. Frodo?"Sam asked. Frodo couldn´t look straight into Sam´s eyes, when he answered: "I´m fine, Sam."

After a while he said: "Bilbo and Gandalf are going to sail to the Undying Lands. Tomorrow I will set out to accompany them to the Grey Havens. Merry and Pippin will come too. Will you come with us to say farewell?"

Suddenly a dark foreboding befell Sam and he knew that something was going to happen that would affect him forever.


	2. Boromir

Thanks to Rosie for her help and answers to my numerous questions. It was her and quillon who made the dream more cruel than intended. ;-)

* * *

_Boromir´s Bane_

Finally they had reached Parth Galen, pulled the boats onto the shore and prepared themselves for the camp. Boromir went to collect some fire-wood. From a distance he saw Frodo walking in the forest on his own. Was it imagination or did Boromir hear a voice within his head? "This is your chance, remember your father´s order! Do it now!"

Boromir approached Frodo and tried to convince him to let the Ring go and hand it to him. When the hobbit refused, Boromir drew his sword without further consideration and stabbed Frodo, on whose cloak a quickly expanding dark red stain showed up and the hobbit´s big blue eyes looked at him with horror and pain before he collapsed, dying.

Aragorn, who had been searching for Frodo, was almost paralysed with shock when he found the liveless body. Hidden by trees Boromir heard the Ring speaking to him once more: "He thinks he is Isildur´s heir and you will never find peace as King of Gondor, as long as he is alive." Boromir raised his sword and plunged it into the back of the unsuspecting ranger whilst he kneeled over Frodo.

The remaining members of the Fellowship stood no chance, when a host of Orcs took them by surprise. Now under Boromir´s command, they obeyed the orders that none of his former companions be spared.

He returned to Gondor in glory. The inhabitants of Minas Tirith greeted him with flowers and cheers, and Boromir was overwhelmed by this welcome and the admiration he received.

"Well done, my son, I knew that I could rely on you. We must use this powerful weapon wisely - I will keep it safe and we will show it to no-one. Tomorrow we will hold council and decide how best to deal with the enemy."Denethor was very proud of his first-born.

"Father, I didn´t take these perils upon myself to hide it. I want to keep it and I will be King of Gondor. The time of the Stewards is over."Boromir stood upright in front of his father.

"You are too young to fully understand the dangerous influence of the Ring. It must not be used thoughtlessly! You are a valiant warrior and a cherished son of Gondor, but we have to be very careful, for the Ring will be treacherous. Don´t forget your origin, we are the Stewards of Gondor. This is a great honour and you don´t need to become king. "Denethor looked sternly at his son.

"He is old and senile. Don´t wait until he is dead before you can finally inherit his might. Take it now and send him away."Boromir heard the Ring talking to him.

"Father, too long have you carried the burden of responsibility for this country. You are old and should rest now. I´d be glad to have you as a counsellor by my side. Tomorrow you will hand the White Rod over to me."

"Don´t you know the tradition of our country? I will be Steward till I die and you, as my first-born, will be my heir."

"Father, you leave me no other choice." Boromir called for the sentinels. "You will be imprisoned and later accused of high treason."

"My son, you are already corrupted by the Ring! Don´t act unwisely!" Denethor shouted in despair, but Boromir had already left the room.

"My brother! I am so glad that you have returned unharmed!" Faramir embraced Boromir. "Tell me everything about your errand", he demanded. "But we´d better wait till father joins us, I´m sure he also wants to know everything about your venture."

"Faramir, our father won´t come because he proved to be disloyal. I had to send him to prison, for he wanted to hinder me in doing what must be done to defy the enemy."

"Our father might be old, but he is still wiser than you and me together. How do you dare to arrest the Steward of Gondor? I can´t believe that you did that."

"You would be surprised, if you knew what I was capable of, Faramir. Next I am going to beat the enemy with his own weapon and defeat him. I will be crowned King of Gondor!"

"Boromir, you don´t have the right to be king and the Ring must be used cautiously. It may be a chance to get rid ourselves of the threat of Sauron and bring peace to our land. But it may turn out to be too dangerous a risk to take..."

"You are hesitant as ever, little brother."Boromir interrupted Faramir." But you should leave this important decision to me, for I am both older and wiser than you. I will find a suitable task for you."

"Boromir, don´t think that the Ring will give endless power and wisdom to you. It was made by Sauron and therefore Men are too weak to wield it." Faramir took a step towards his brother. "You must be tired from the long journey, take a rest first and we talk later."

Again Boromir heard the Ring´s voice. "Don´t trust him, he wants to lower your guard and take the power for himself."

"Don´t move!" Boromir shouted in a sharp voice. "As you apparently don´t want to support me, I must take you for an adversary. I can see that you want the Ring for yourself to fulfil your everlasting dream to be finally superior to me!"

Faramir went pale and his eyes widened with shock, when he took another desperate effort to calm his brother and ignored Boromir´s order as he moved forward, reaching his hands towards the furious man.

"Do it – now, get rid of the traitor!" The voice hissed within Boromir´s head. He drew his dagger and stabbed his unarmed brother into his heart. Faramir fell and before life left him, he whispered: "I forgive you, for I know you are not yourself."

Boromir awoke with a cry and soaked with cold sweat. He looked around and saw the green and golden leaves of the trees of Lothlorien instead of the White City´s walls. Next to him there rested Aragorn and in some distance he could see Frodo, sleeping peacefully. He was relieved that this had obviously been a dream. A dream? How could he be sure? He was suddenly aware of the danger that this nightmare could be prophetic, in the same way as the one in which he was told to seek the sword that was broken. He tried to regain his composure, but heard once more a low voice.

Lady Galadriel sat by his side, as she whispered: "Beware of the temptation, son of Gondor!"


	3. Éowyn

Rosie, thank you again!

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_The Shadows of the Past_

I am feeling utterly alone in Edoras. My brother has been banned, my cousin is dead and my uncle loses his strength from day to day, befallen with a disease which apparently cannot be healed. His will fades and he is ageing more quickly than usual. And the worst: he is only listening to this man, who ensnares him like a huge black spider, giving foul advice.

I can never be sure that he won´t turn up clandestinely, unseen by the servants. He is whispering words into my ear that make me shiver. Something touches my shoulder – his hand! I push the hand away with disgust. "Éowyn? What´s wrong?" he asks in a gentle voice. How can he dare to ask? He has been sneaking around me all the time, I have always felt his eyes following every move of mine. I can hardly bear his presence and he has gone too far touching me. For this time he stops his advance, but he will doubtlessly become more insolent.

Obviously he is feeling more self-confident now, that my brother can protect me no more. That´s why lately I have started to carry a dagger with me. I even take it into my bed because it makes me feel more secure when it is lying under my pillow.

* * *

She doesn´t want to talk about it. I am witnessing her dreams night by night. Sometimes she is whimpering like a scared child and I can´t understand the words she utters because she speaks in her mother-tongue. In the morning she has circled eyes and takes a long time to return to normality.

Last night I stroked her shoulder because I could hardly bear to watch her obvious torments while she was sleeping. She pushed my hand away with vehemence and I didn´t dare touch her anymore. Suddenly she awoke and I lit a candle.

"Éowyn, are you all right?" I asked but she only ordered me to extinguish the light. I caught a glimpse of her face, before she turned away quickly and I saw that she had tears on her cheeks. "What ails you, my love?" I tried again. She did not answer, but pretended to sleep. The rest of the night I was restless and so was she, but neither of us spoke a word.

I am racking my brains how I can help her. As long as she refuses to talk about her dreams, I will be helpless and it is driving me mad. Unfortunately the nightly visions start to affect our daily life. When I am entering her room unexpectedly to talk to her, she might start and give a little cry. Last week I purchased a new cloak and when she saw that it was a black fabric, she immediately and almost rudely told me to return it. I wanted to know the reason, but she refused to answer.

* * *

I am alone in my room, trying to read a book, but cannot concentrate. I am going to the window to enjoy the sight of Rohan´s beautiful landscape. I wished that my brother would return, but the roads are empty, no familiar clatter of hooves is to be heard. Tears are rolling down my face. It is as still as a tomb.

Suddenly I feel his presence - although he is moving soundlessly, I don´t have to turn round to see him. My body feels numb and I can hardly breath. He is approaching and touches my hair. I am trembling with loathe and to my horror I am unable to move or scream. He takes my defencelessness for an agreement. "Now, Éowyn, do you admit at last that I am not so unattractive and despicable? I will make you very happy." I am nearly choking, still being unable to react.

He embraces me and my room starts to spin. I am terrified with the imagination of his hands on my body and I am suddenly awaking from my paralysis. "Let me go, you foul beast!"I shout and attempt to flee from him. He holds me tightly, but I can get my hand free and grasp the knife, which is hidden in the pleats of my dress, take it out and hold it to his throat, saying in a loud and clear voice: "And now leave me alone forever, Grima Wormtongue, if you don´t want to die."

* * *

It is night again. I am awoken by a strange noise and realise that Éowyn is sobbing in her sleep. I pity her so much in my helplessness that I gently stroke her hair. I feel her body stiffen and she seems to stop breathing. Tears are on her face. Cautiously I take her into my arms, trying to chase away the ghosts which are haunting her. She screams and shouts at me, words which I can´t understand as usual. She starts to struggle and I try to hold her safely in my arms, speaking soothing words in a low voice.

She reaches under her pillow and suddenly she has a dagger in her hand, while she still seems to be unconscious of her doings. I am afraid that she might hurt herself, but she opens her eyes and with an incredibly quick movement, she puts the knife tightly to my throat so that I can feel the cold blade on my skin. I can´t still understand what she is saying, but her hateful and ice-cold voice makes my blood freeze and I see no recognition in her eyes.

* * *

I open my eyes with the feeling that something is wrong, and I find myself kneeling over Faramir, holding my dagger to his throat. I am looking into his widely opened sapphire eyes and the awareness of what I was about to do nearly makes me lose my mind. The dagger falls from my now trembling hand and hot tears fill my eyes. "Faramir, my love, can you ever forgive me?" My voice quivers. He takes me into his arms and says: "Will you ever trust me and tell me everything?"

And I know I must do as he asks in the hope that his love and support will end these nightmares before what nearly happened tonight becomes a reality.


	4. Aragorn

The characters of Lord Of The Rings do not belong to me, only their nightmares do. This is my second try to submit this story because it turned up in the wrong section first.

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The House Of Healing

_"The hands of a king are the hands of a healer."_

The old woman says these words and sniggers spitefully. "Did you really think you could save them? They are dead, and no-one, not even you, fake King could save the Lady of Rohan and your Steward.

Shall I tell you what happened during the night, while you were sleeping so content after you had boiled some herbs and washed their faces with that stinking brew?"

Sauron´s army had been defeated and Aragorn, who had tended his patients incessantly, had gone to his tent to get finally some sleep after the past exhausting months. In fact he hadn´t been able to keep his eyes open any longer and Ioreth, the skilled and experienced healer, assured him he could leave the Houses Of Healing because Éowyn and Faramir were out of danger. He only left them after she had promised to awake him should anything happen.

Now she had come and he looked into her hard face and heard her incredibly cruel words. "No", he said, "these were no simple herbs, you know that. It was kingsfoil and you know its effects."

"Oh, come on, King Elessar", the woman answered emphasizing his name sardonically, "you know as well as I do that this is a legend: Kingsfoil in the hand of a king healing all wounds and even the hopeless illnesses. Do you really think that an old sword makes you a real King and gives you the ability to do magic? Tell me, what else have you done for the last months than the only thing you are really good at - taking lives, not saving them.

You bring no love, but only destruction - look at the Lady of Rohan. She eventually died of a broken heart not from the Witchking´s blade. You left her in despair and loneliness and you weren´t even there to give her comfort in her very last minutes. Don´t tell me that you did not know that she was in love with you - didn´t you hear her words during her feverish dreams?"

"I told her that I could never give her the love she was seeking for", Aragorn replied. "We were friends, true friends and I wished nothing more for her than happiness."

"And what did she get? Pain, torture and death. You failed, Aragorn, you failed to make her happy and you failed to save our Steward. Do you know how noble that young man was? Another lonely soul, who had lost everything that was dear to him: his family, one by one, most of his friends and finally his self-esteem. He felt guilty after the sacrifice of so many lives and at last, you were his hope, Estel." Again she scornfully spoke his former name. "He hoped to finally find some meaning for his life, when he realized that the King was back."

"I was looking forward to getting to know him closer, and I did save his life!" said Aragorn. "He spoke to me and recognized me. I told him to rest to gather strength."

"After you left, both patients rapidly deteriorated." Ioreth replied. The Lady Of Rohan asked for you, the only man she had ever loved in her life. When you did not answer, her strength and will to survive faded. I could feel her spirits vanishing and she passed silently and without resistance.

When Faramir realized that the Lady Of Rohan was dying, he tried to get up from his bed and dragged himself to her. He held her hand and spoke to her, gentle and soothing words. He even tried to wash her face with your magic brew. She got weaker and weaker, but Lord Faramir stood by her, although he saw that it was too late and he realized that it would take all his strength. He did what you should have done and then he died as he lived - alone."

"You had promised to awake me!"

Ioreth laughed. "Yes, I did, and I sent a servant to get you but he did not succeed in awaking you. You slept too soundly and peacefully and I could only be there and watch him dying. After the Lady had passed, Lord Faramir broke down and died some minutes later. It was horrible. The Lady just fell asleep forever, but he had some strength left to fight and he called his brother and you several times, before his voice trailed off and his struggle for breath eventually stopped, when every second seemed to last an hour. I could do nothing to ease his pain and passing."

Aragorn cried out and opened his eyes. Ioreth was shaking him softly. "Lord Aragorn, will you please follow me to the Houses of Healings?" she asked.

Aragorn rose from his bed, soaked with perspiration and his body was trembling so much, that he was barely capable of staying on his feet. He drew his cloak tightly around his body and followed the healer. When he entered the room where he had left Éowyn and Faramir, he found them both alive and conscious.

Éowyn´s gaze was much brighter than before and when he gently touched her injured hand, a faint smile appeared on her face.

Then he bent over Faramir and realized that his fever had gone. He could not hold back his tears and said: "Rest, my dear friend and worry no more. I will go to sleep again, now that I know that what I thought was a vision, turned out to be a nightmare."


End file.
